Process and apparatus for treating carbonaceous material



W. E. TRENT March 22, 1932.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Nov. 4, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l R S E R VE 0 m w T A E R Efl h m WW March 22, 1932. w, E, WENT 1,850,521

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Nov. 4, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. WA LTER E .TRE N T BY $2M @4 7 ATTORNEYS.

w. E. TRENT 1,850,521

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL March 22, 1932.

Filed Nov. 4. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Kr k w mw m Wa/ferZ' figgfi BY rflta/7 $14 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE-4 WALTER E. rnnrrr; or NEW YORK, N. Y., nssrenoa TO THE manna: rnocnss coaronA'rIoN, a conroanrron or DELAWARE PROCESS AND .AEPARATUS FOR TREATING CABBONACEOUS MATERIAL Application filed November 4, 1927. Serial No. 280,954.

This invention relates to a methodof, and material being treated, thereby permitting apparatus for, heat treating various carbonaceous materials such as coals, oil shales, lig-v nites, petroleum oils and the like. The in- 5 vention is particularly applicable to the treatment of various solid or semi-solid carbonaceous materials for the purpose of distilling OK the vaporizable constituents and recovering the residue in the form of cargo bonized fuel.

In the distillation and carbonizationbf carbonaceous materials of the classes specified, it is highly desirable to cause the whole bod of material undergoing treatment to be SUbJBCtGd to as uniform a temperature as possible, thereby causing the distillation and carbonization to proceed at substantially, the same rate throughout the mass and preventing overheating or useless heating of localized portions thereof, while other portions are being brought to the desired treated condition.

The present invention has for a principal object a process for transmitting heat to the material undergoing carbonizat'ion by means of heated conductive members having portions positioned either in the path of the material being treated in its passage through the heating apparatus, or in such 'proximity thereto that heat will be transmitted from such members substantially uniformly to all parts of the carbonaceous material being treated, the conductive members also having other portions extending outside the. carbonizing. zone in heat receiving relation to a hiat source, such as a burner, grate or the li e.

Another object of the invention is to pro- I vide means for carrying out the process either as a continuous operation or intermittently in an economical and expeditious manner.

A further object of the invention isto provide means for maintaining a close heat control in treating carbonaceous material, so that, if desired, the distillation of the volatiles in the material being treated may be carlied on at a temperature close to but slightly below the normal coking temperature for the the carbonaceous residue to be recovered'in finely powdered form.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for producing gas from carbonaceous material of the classes specified in a simple and convenient manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts, and in which Figure l .is a vertical part sectional and part elevational view of one form of apparatus capable of being used to carry out the process; 1

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through one of the heating units shown in Figure 1 and taken on the line 2-2 of said figure; 7o 7 Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through one of the carbonizing retorts shown in Figure 1 and taken on the line 33 of said figure;

Figure 4 is a view in perspectiveillustrating more or less diagrammatically a horizontal section through a single heating unit and an adjoining retort both similar'to those shown in Figs. 1 and 3;

Figure 5 1s a vertical sectional view of a o modified form of apparatus;

Figure 6 represents more or less diagrammatically the direction of flow of the hot gases and the direction of flow of the material being treated over the heat conductive 35 members in apparatus such as that shown in F i ure 5;

igure 7 illustrates in cross section number of forms of the heat conductive members which may be used in practicing the invention.

In the drawings, 10 indicates generally one form of carbonlzing apparatus embodying the present invention. This apparatus is shown as comprising three heating or combus-. tion chambers 12 and two intermediate treating members or retorts 14, the several chamhere being separated by the walls 16. It will torts may be assembled without departing from the invention; also, that one heating chamber may be associated with two retorts 1n the same manner as illustrated or two heating chambers may be associated with one retort. Extending from one of the side walls 18 of the apparatus to the other, and embedded therein and in the intermediate walls 16, are heat conductive members 20. Preferably these members consist of metallic rods or bars,

for example, of cast iron, although any heat resistant material possessing similar heat.

conductive properties and the requisite strength may be used.

In the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the heat conductive members or rods 20 are shown as arranged in vertically spaced rows so as to provide a plurality of superimposed tunnel-like passagesfrom end to end of each of the retort chambers 14. The rows of rods 20 also serve as supports and guideways for the trays 26 containing the carbonaceous materialwhich is to betreated. The

' openings 22 are provided in the end walls 24 in alignment with the passages above mentioned, thus permitting introduction and withdrawal of the trays. The trays 26 are preferably made of a highly conductive material such as cast iron so as to facilitate the transmission of heat from the rods to the in a circuitous path back and'forth over'the' rods 20 as indicated by the arrows, and finally discharge to the stack 36. Where a plurality of heating chambers are provided the products of combustion may be led from those heating chambers not immediately connected to thestack to ofi'take fiues 38 and a connecting flue 40., v

It may be desirable to introduce air, steam or other gases into the retort chambers, for

example, when the apparatus is being used in producing gas. I have, therefore, provided the openings 42 which may be controlled by the slide valves 44. The apparatus may be operated as follows:

Trays 26, filled with the carbonaceous material'which is to be subjected to a .carbonization heat treatment and which may, for example, be a powdered coal-hydrocarbon oil amalgam such as is disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,420,164, are inserted through the openings 22 in the end walls 24 and moved along in any suitable manner on the rods 20 until the retort is completely filled with trays of the material. The openings 22 are then closed and the carbonaceous material is subjected to heat transmitted from the heating chambers'by the conductive rods 20 until the distillation and carbonization have been carried to the desired extent. The length of time required for the carbonizing treatment will vary somewhat depending upon material being treated. In treating amalgamated masses of powdered anthracite coal of the type found-in Rhode Island, a heating period of from one to two hours will'sufiice.

The course taken by the vapors distilled from the carbonaceous material is indicated by the arrows shown as applied to the retorts and the vapor line in Figs. 1 and 4. Similarly, the course taken by the products of combustion in their passage to the stack is indicated by the arrows applied to the heating chambers and fine passages in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

Instead of conducting the heat treatment as a batch or periodic operation, it may be desirable to introduce trays of fresh material intermittently, the introduction of each fresh tray being accompanied by the withdrawal from the opposite end of a given row of trays in the retort of a tray containing material which has been subjected to the desired amount of treatment.

It'may also be desirable to introduce the trays of fresh material at the end of the retort farthest removed from the grate or grates 34 and cause them to be moved intermittently toward the zone of highest heat adjacent the grate or grates 34. Again, it may be desired to cause the trays to travel intermittently through the retort on one level and then to return them on a succeeding level and so on, back and forth until a single tray has traversed all of the levels. In this way the charging and withdrawal of the trays will proceed with greater regularity than where fresh trays are introduced to all of the levels of the retort at one charging operation. It will be appreciated that the construction shown permits of considerable flexibility of operation with respect to the charging and discharging of the metal being treated as well as with respect to the course the material may take in its passage through the retort and the duration of the treatment.

As will be readily understood from an in spection of the drawings and the above description, thehot products of combustion in passing over the portions and the rods 20 disposed in the heating chambers give up their sensible heat tov the rods. This heat is conducted to those portions of the rods disposed within the retorts from which portions it is transmitted to the material to be treated.

Heat transfer from the rods to the carbonaceous material will take place largely by conduction through the metal of the trays, al-

though considerable transfer by means of radiant heat, particularly in those portions of the retorts opposite the hotter portions of the heating chambers, will take place. Also, in case the trays are provided with foraminous or reticulated bottoms permitting the vapors from lower trays to pass upward through the carbonaceous material in the upper trays, considerable heat transfer from the rods 20 to the material undergoing treatment will take place by convection currents. Owing to the fact that the trays are relatively shallow and the rods are so spaced vertically as to provide but a small clearance between the tops of the trays and the next row of rods, the heated rods are brought into close proximity not only to the material in the trays being supported by them, but also to the upper surface s of the material in the trays being supported by the next lower row of rods, thus facilitating the transmission of heat uniformly to all portions of the material undergoing treatment.

In Fig. 5 a modified construction is shown in which in lieu of trays 26 for c rying the carbonaceous material through t e retort, means is provided as causing the material to move by gravity through the retort in heat transmitting relation with heated rods similar to those illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 inclusive. In this figure is shown a vertically arranged retort 14 having arranged at each side and parallel'therewith heating chambers 12'. Extending laterally of said heating chambers and said retort are metal rods 20 arranged in horizontal rows. rods 20 are spaced relatively closely together as compared with the rows shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Also, the rods in therespective rows are so spaced horizontally that rods of adjacent rows are not in vertical alignment, thus causing the carbonaceous material in its passage through the retort to follow zig-zag paths between the rods of the successive rows, as indicated diagrammatically by the arrows in the portion marked 6 of Fig. 6. Likewise,

the products of combustion from the grates- 34 are caused to pass upward in a zig-zag path over those portions of the rods in the b heating chambers as indicated diagrammatically by the arrows in the portion marked a of Fig. 6, and thus are caused to be brought into intimate contact therewith.

In operation, the carbonaceous material to be treated is introduced through the charging hopper 46 and caused to be more or less evenly distributed in the retort 14' by means of the cone-shaped member 48 positioned in the mouth of the conduit 50- leading from the hopper 46, and by means of the invested frusto-conical ring 52 which is disposed beneath the member 48, both of which members are supported from the walls of the retort 14' by means of the radially extending members 54. The passage of the material through the The rows of conduit 50 is shown as controlled by means of a. slide valve 56. In order to discharge the due is indicated by means of double arrows.

According to the modificationjillustrated in Fig. 5,the process may be conducted either continuously or intermittently, and owing to the arrangement of the rods 20, the carbonaceous material in its passage downward through the retort will be repeatedly bro ht into intimate contact with the heated rods, thus efi'ecting a high and uniform rate of heat transmission.

The rods or bars 20 may take difierent cross I sectional forms as indicated by the modifications designated by the letters 6, f, gand h in Fig. 7 m

It will be understood that the process may be carried out in other forms of apparatus than that shown. Such a construction is shown, for example, in my prior co-pending application Ser. No. 612,080, filed January 11,

1923, and to the extent of the matter so shown in said prior application, but not claimed therein, the present application is a continuation.

Another form of the apparatus embody-' ing features of the present invention, and which is adapted particularly for the treatment of finely divided carbonaceous material so as to volatilize the vaporizable constituents and recover the residue in the form of finely divided carbonized particles is shown in my co-pending application Ser. No.

135,471, filed September 14, 1926, of which the present application is a continuation in part as to those features relating to the transmission of heat by means of conductive memers.

Various modifications may be made as to the details of construction of the apparatus and of the procedure outlined without dearting from the scope of the invention which is not to be deemed to be limited other moved along, said rows, heat producin means in said combustion chamber, an means for causing the products of combustion to be brought into intimate relation with those portions of said rods in said combus-- tion chamber. 1

2. A carbonizing process which comprlses positioning a plurality of vertically spaced rows of heat conductive members with portions of said members within a carbonizing zone and other portions thereof outside saidE zone, supporting carbonizable material to be treated upon the portion of each of said rows positioned within said zone, r. Jplying a carom'zing heat to the portions of said members positioned outside said zone, causing said material to be carbonized by heat conducted from the portions of said members outside said zone to the portions thereof Within said zone, and passing vapors evolved from the material supported on the lower of said vertically spaced rows through the material supported upon the upper rows.

3. A carbonizing apparatus comprising a retort, -a plurality of heat conducting members having portions thereof disposed within said retort and other portions extending outside said retort, means for supporting material to be carbonized upon the portions of said members disposed within the retort, and means for applying a carbonizing heat to the portions of said members extending outside said retort, said means for supporting material comprising a container adapted to be moved along said members.

4. A carbonizing apparatus comprising a J retort, a plurality of heat conducting members having portions thereof disposed within said retort and other portions extending outside said retort, said members being disposed in vertically spaced horizontally aligned rows, containers adapted to be supported by and moved along said rows, and means for applying a carbonizing heat to the portions of said members extending outside said retort.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 2nd day of November, 1927.

WALTER E. TRENT. 

